Joe Manganiello's upper-body workout routine

Build a monstrous upper body with the "True Blood" actor’s own chest, shoulder, and triceps routine.

If you’re sick of your girlfriend talking about what a great body Joe Manganiello has (or just staring, slack-jawed, whenever he’s on-screen), it’s time you did something about it. You can start with this routine—a workout plucked from Manganiello’s own fitness book, Evolution, and used by the big man himself to bulk up his chest, shoulders, and arms.

How it works

Manganiello is an old-school gym rat. He doesn’t do any fancy exercises, just tried-and-true bodybuilding staples like the bench press, overhead press, and pushdown. He warms up slowly on the bench, working up to the heaviest load he can handle for two reps, then backs off the weight for higher reps to get a pump. From there, he alternates exercises for different muscle groups so he can accomplish more work in less time.

At 32 total sets, it’s a lot of work—and, like the TV show that made Manganiello famous, it’s not for the squeamish. But it will put hair (fur?) on your chest, as well as make it bigger.

Directions

Perform the bench press as straight sets. For the paired exercises (marked “A” and “B”), do one set of “A,” rest, then one set of “B,” and repeat the pair until all sets are complete. Rest 60–90 seconds after every set in the workout.